History was made last weekend when veteran athlete Roger Bruck set a new British high jump record in the 85-90-year-old age group.
The 85-year-old, who has won a string of Maccabiah Games and European Maccabi Games medals over a glittering career, added to his still-growing accolades when he cleared 1.11m at the Be Fit Today Track Academy meeting at Lee Valley.
He said: “I knew the previous record was 1.10m. My plan was carefully arranged with the officials, the arrangement being for me to start at 0.99cms, going up in 4cms at a time. Having cleared 0.99cm, 1.03m, 1.07m, my confidence built as I cleared all the heights first time, and after I cleared 1.11m, I dropped out.”
Reflecting back on his career, he says: “Little did I think when I won gold at the 1959 European Maccabi Championships in Copenhagen that I would still be competing and breaking records 66 years later.” He followed that up with another gold at the 1961 Maccabiah, and silver four years later, while also winning gold at the 1963 Maccabi European Games in France. He was also Team Maccabi GB’s Track and Field manager at both the 1993 and 1997 Maccabiahs, his efforts rewarded by twice receiving Maccabi Lifetime Achievement awards.
Domestically, his trophy-haul has seen him win 13 successive sprint titles with Shaftesbury Harriers, before he switched to Barnet Athletics Club when he became a Masters athlete (once turning 35). Switching to high jump, he’s since topped the British rankings 25 times and represented GB at seven World Masters Championships.
Explaining what keeps driving him on, he says: “The adrenalin rush of competition never leaves you. After my record leap, I held my breath as the officials checked the horizontal and vertical bars were in accordance with regulations and only after the official forms were signed, was I able to celebrate and participate my interview with fellow Masters athlete, World and European champions Donald Brown.
“I’m also always grateful for the support I’ve received from my wife Judy for over 60 years, and the encouragement I receive from my coach Clyde Gordon and training partner, Rosalind Zeffertt.”
